I wanted my presentation to demonstrate the highlights of my time in Hong
Kong and Beijing, so I chose some photos that I felt best represented the most
memorable parts of my trip and used them to create an iMovie. I really wanted to
focus on what I personally experienced and to show these experiences from my own
personal vantage point. It is for this reason that I decided to forgo including photos
of myself and arranged group photos; instead, I have created a compilation of
photographs that I believe best show how I saw Hong Kong and Beijing through my
own eyes. Below, I have included brief descriptions that explain why I chose to
highlight the experiences that I included in the video. The accompanying music is a
song that I discovered in Beijing. The title roughly translates to “You’re Finally My
Third Wheel” in English. It is, according to my Chinese roommate, a typical Chinese
“trash song” – a song that everyone claims to hate despite the fact that they all listen
to it. As the title suggests, the lyrics are completely nonsensical, but I heard it
playing everywhere from the Summer Palace to random Beijing stores to the
Olympic Park, so I felt that it was appropriate to include it in my video.
The dragon boat races in Sai Kung were my first real introduction to the
culture of Hong Kong. They were also the first time that I really had a chance to
meet the other people on the program. Even though it was wet and rainy outside, a
surprisingly large crowd of people, comprised of both foreigners and locals,
gathered along the waterfront in the small fishing village to watch teams of rowers
race long, narrow boats crowned with colorful, carved dragon heads in the harbor.
The races are a key part of the Dragon Boat Festival, an annual celebration that is
believed to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, an ancient Chinese poet, and they
are held in cities around the world every year. For me, it was fascinating to watch
these races and learn about their history from people who were far more
knowledgeable about them than I was. I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the
town with newfound friends, taking part in the celebration and watching the sheer
joy on peoples’ faces as they cheered on their favorite teams. I can’t wait until next
year’s festival, because I am already planning to attend the dragon boat races held
annually on the Potomac River to mark the holiday.
Before I arrived in Hong Kong, I expected it to be a dense, fairly compact city,
likely somewhat similar to Singapore. Shortly after landing, however, I discovered
that Hong Kong was much larger and far more spread out than I expected it to be.
Luckily, there is a multitude of ways to travel in the area, ranging from the
conventional, like the MTR and the instantly recognizable red taxis, to the more
unique, such as the “ding dings” to and even a cable car system. I tried to experience
as many modes of transportation as I could, but my favorite way to get around in
Hong Kong was definitely on the Star Ferry. The Star Ferry, which dates back to
1888, links Hong Kong Island to Kowloon and transports thousands of passengers
across Victoria Harbor every day. For just HKD2 (about 26 cents), you can take the
short ride from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui or vice versa, taking in stunning views of
the iconic Hong Kong skyline along the way. While I enjoyed taking the ferry at any
time of day, I especially liked to ride it at night, when all the major buildings on
Hong Kong Island were illuminated and the skyline became a rainbow of fluorescent
lights.
It’s no secret that Hong Kong, with its streets lined with both luxury and
discount retailers, is a shopper’s paradise. There are shopping malls everywhere
you look, and people flock from around the world, particularly the Chinese
mainland, to take advantage of all the retail therapy that Hong Kong has to offer. I
was amazed by the sheer number of retail outlets, as well as by their apparent
popularity (some high end stores had up to 25 or 30 people waiting in line out front
just to get inside). I took part in this national pastime on countless occasions during
my time in Hong Kong, snapping up everything from clothes to paintings to a
souvenir alarm clock, and although I certainly didn’t mind venturing into Hong
Kong’s massive shopping complexes, I far preferred to do my shopping in the local
markets. Every day, thousands of vendors set up shop across Hong Kong to hawk
their wares, ranging from wholesale fruit to knock-off purses and everything in
between. The assortment of products was astounding (and, at times,
overwhelming), but I found that certain markets seemed to specialize in specific
goods. The Ladies Market at Mong Kok, for example, offered an incredible array of
footwear, while vendors at Temple Street Night Market had impressive collections
of Mao Zedong memorabilia for sale. I enjoyed meandering through these markets
and stopping into stalls to purchase souvenirs for myself as well as for friends and
family. My favorite part of the experience, however, was haggling with the sellers. I
love getting a good deal, and I had a great time going back and forth with men and
women trying to establish fair prices for things like purses and sunglasses. I was
surprised at how easy it was to communicate with these people given the language
barrier because I don’t speak Cantonese and most vendors spoke little, if any,
English. I enjoyed the bargaining so much that on several occasions, I found myself
haggling for products that I didn’t even want just because I wanted to see how cheap
I could get them for. I ended up buying a lot more than I intended to (and more than
I could fit in my suitcase), but now I have plenty of trinkets to remind me of all the
fun that I had bargaining in Hong Kong.
I was lucky enough to get to travel around in Asia for about 2 weeks before
the program started. I arrived in Hong Kong a few days early, just in time to see the
giant rubber duck floating in Victoria Harbor. A Dutch artist named Florentijn
Hofman is responsible for the duck, which travels to major cities around the world
as part of Hofman’s exhibition, “The Rubber Duck”. I knew that the duck would be
leaving Hong Kong on June 10, so I made a point of going straight to see it almost as
soon as I arrived. The concierge at my hotel was kind enough to give me directions
to the duck’s location, so I headed out, map in hand, to find the 40-foot tall inflatable
bath toy. I figured that it wouldn’t be too hard to track down the duck, as such a
large, colorful structure was sure to stand out; much to my surprise, however,
finding the duck proved more difficult than I had originally thought it would be. I
took the MTR to the Tsim Sha Tsui station and when I emerged from the station, I
followed the signs to the Avenue of Stars, a Hollywood Walk of Fame-like walkway
that I was told would lead me straight to the duck. The view from the Avenue of
Stars was stunning – looking across the water, I could see everything from the
towering IFC building to the uniquely-shaped Hong Kong Convention Center; but
alas, the duck was nowhere to be found. I walked back to the MTR station, went to
the information counter, and got new directions to the duck (the station had over 15
exits and I had exited from the wrong one). I made my way to the right exit and, as I
was walking off the escalator, I noticed a huge group of people assembled on a
sidewalk snapping photos. As I rounded the corner of the building I had just exited
from, I finally saw the duck! It looked much larger than I thought it would, and I was
shocked by the size of the crowd that had gathered to see it. I was so excited that I
was able to find the duck and I couldn’t keep myself from taking pictures of it (I
ended up with 21 photos of the duck on my camera). I think that the reason I got so
much enjoyment from seeing the duck was because it was so unique; this, combined
with my knowledge of the fact that I got really lucky in that I just so happened to be
in Hong Kong in time to see it, made for a truly memorable experience that I have
been eager to share with everyone who asks me about my favorite parts of the trip.
For me, one of the best things about the JGS program was that it provided
numerous opportunities to travel outside of Hong Kong. Over the course of the
program, I was able to find time to take trips to Guangzhou, Bangkok, and Macau. I
thoroughly enjoyed travelling to each of these locations, but I liked Macau so much
that I ended up going there twice. Macau, like Hong Kong, is a Special
Administrative Region (SAR) of China, meaning that although it legally part of China,
it is self-governing and is subject to different rules and regulations than the rest of
China. The region, which was a Portuguese colony until 1999, is most well-known
for its casinos (it has been called the “Las Vegas of the East”) but it is also home to
several beaches, an interesting museum focusing on the history of Macau, and
hundreds of buildings that were built in the Mediterranean style, adapted to suit the
tropical climate of Macau. The first time I went, I spent most of my time wandering
around admiring the architecture of the buildings (which provided a stark contrast
to what I had seen in Hong Kong) and visiting numerous churches and the museum.
I hit most of the tourist sites but didn’t manage to make it to the beach, which I had
intended to do. So when I had the chance to go back, I jumped at the opportunity.
As soon as I arrived, I headed straight for the bus station and boarded a crowded
bus that took me to a small village called Coloane, far from the casinos that I had
seen on my previous visit. Coloane was surprisingly quiet and some of the residents
seemed a little shocked when I wandered into the local supermarket; although some
people might have been turned off by the lack of tourist-oriented infrastructure in
the village, I personally loved Coloane because it gave me a chance to get a glimpse
of what life was really like for some of Macau’s residents. I was also surprised to
learn that Lord Stow’s Bakery in Coloane was the home of the original egg tart (a
regional delicacy). After stopping into the bakery and purchasing an egg tart (which
was absolutely fantastic), I continued walking around the town until a cemetery
caught my eye. It was built into the side of a mountain and, save for Arlington
Cemetery, it was probably the largest cemetery I’ve ever seen. Despite the
sweltering heat, a friend that I was travelling with and I decided to try to climb
through the cemetery and up the mountain in hopes of finding a beach on the other
side. About 30 minutes later, we reached the peak only to realize that the backside
of the mountain was covered in nothing but trees and that there was no way to get
down. Disappointed, we started to make our way back down the way we had gone
up until we came upon a mysterious path. We followed the path to a narrow street
that ran parallel to the nearby waterfront and decided to walk along it, still hoping
to find a beach to cool off at. We walked for about 2 miles before we spotted a small,
quiet beach about 60 feet below the road. Luckily, we were able to find a path that
led to the beach; we hurried down the path, tearing our clothes off along the way.
We made a beeline straight for the water, which felt unbelievably refreshing after
what ended up being a two and a half hour hike. It was the most rewarding swim I
have ever experienced and it provided the perfect ending to a memorable day in
Macau.
I was looking forward to trying my luck at the casinos in Macau, but
unfortunately, the legal gambling age there is 21 and I am only 20 years old. Luckily
for me, betting on horse races is an extremely popular pastime in Hong Kong and
you only have to be 18 to make a bet. Horse racing is so popular that the Hong Kong
Jockey Club actually has two racecourses in Hong Kong dedicated to the biweekly
races that it hosts, one in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island and another at Sha Tin in
the New Territories. While I never made it to Sha Tin, I did make it to the
racecourse at Wan Chai one night to watch the races. At only HKD10, admission to
the races is a bargain, especially compared to Foxfield at UVA. This probably helps
explain why so many people flock to the racecourse every Wednesday night for a
couple hours of cheap entertainment. When I was there, the seating and standing
areas were both packed with spectators, many of whom seemed to be tourists like
myself. I waded my way through the crowds and to the betting room. Because I’m
not exactly a horseracing aficionado, I was initially a little unsure how to fill out the
betting slip that I picked up once I got there. I must have looked confused, because a
nearby gentleman kindly offered to help me fill out the slip. I bet HKD10 (the
minimum bet) on horse number 7 and headed back out to the main spectator area. I
waited anxiously for the race to begin, chatting with friends about what horses we
bet on and how much money we bet. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting,
the gun finally sounded and the horses were off. My eyes were firmly glued to horse
number 7 and, although this horse was behind for most of the race, he managed to
pull ahead at the end to win the race. Ecstatic, I ran back to the ticket counter to
collect my winnings. I exchanged my betting slip for HKD20 and walked away,
beaming with pride; I had never been so happy to win the equivalent of about $3.
Instead of trying to multiply my winnings by betting on the next race, I decided to
quit while I was ahead. I tucked my winnings into my wallet and met back up with
my friends who were waiting outside. Overall, it was a memorable (and profitable)
experience, and because I never spent my prize money, I now have a nice souvenir
to remember the night by.
Hong Kong’s latitude is similar to that of the Bahamas so not surprisingly, it
got pretty hot while I was there. With temperatures in the mid-90’s and high
humidity, I was always looking for ways to beat the heat. I had heard great things
about Stanley, an area on the south side of Hong Kong that is well known for its
expansive market as well as for its beaches. So on one particularly humid Saturday I
decided to go and check it out. Donning my bathing suit and armed with a full bottle
of SPF 45 sunscreen, I headed to the campus bus stop and boarded a minibus that I
rode to the closest MTR station. Then I got on the MTR, which I rode to another bus
station where I hopped on yet another minibus. The entire journey took upwards of
an hour, so I was thrilled when I finally saw the beach emerge on the horizon. I
disembarked from the bus at a stop right next to Stanley Market and made my way
straight to an area crowded with stalls selling every type of merchandise
imaginable. At home, I have a collection of paintings that I purchased from various
places I have travelled to, and I was determined to add a painting from Stanley to my
collection. Fortunately for me, there were numerous shops selling paintings at a
variety of price points. I loved looking at all the paintings but I quickly became
overwhelmed by both the crowds and the selection of paintings available. I decided
to take a break from shopping and started to walk towards an area with restaurants
that I had passed on the bus when I saw a small shop that had paintings depicting
the Hong Kong skyline in the windows. I knew immediately that I could definitely
find a painting suitable for my collection in the shop, so I walked inside and was
immediately greeted by an older man who introduced himself and showed me to a
large stack of paintings near the back of the store that he himself had painted. I
sifted through the pile until a particular painting, one of Victoria Harbor with the IFC
and Bank of China buildings in the background, caught my attention. I brought it to
the man, who proceeded to check me out, telling me the story about how he moved
to Hong Kong as a young adult and took up painting as a hobby in the meantime.
Clutching my recent purchase, I thanked the man and continued on my search for a
restaurant. I settled for a busy beachfront restaurant, where I enjoyed a
scrumptious lunch of Malaysian chicken satay and fries. I savored the food as I
watched people relaxing in the sand and swimming in the ocean. Finally, it was time
to head for the water so I paid for my food, grabbed my bag, and found a nice place
in the sand to lay down my things. Unfortunately, the water itself was a little dirtier
than I thought it would be, so I decided against swimming and instead packed up my
bag and found a nice hiking path nearby. The views of the water and the beach were
incredible, but the heat ultimately proved too much to handle so I went back to the
beach, content to spend the next few hours doing one of my favorite things – peoplewatching. I found it really interesting to watch the people around me and I observed
a lot of behavior that contrasted sharply to how people would behave at a beach in
the United States; for instance, there were very few people tanning at Stanley, which
I’m told is because paleness often interpreted as a sign of beauty in some Asian
cultures. I also had several people approach me and ask to take pictures with me,
likely because I have blond hair, which is fairly uncommon in Hong Kong. Time flew
by and the sun began to set, which was my cue that it was time to pack up and board
the bus so I could get back to HKUST. I bid farewell to the ocean, not the least bit
upset that I had been unable to swim; I was more than pleased with my calm,
peaceful, relaxing, and rejuvenating day at the beach and I especially excited to show
off the painting that I purchased.
I am enrolled in the McIntire School of Commerce at UVA and interested in
pursuing a career in international business after graduation. Naturally, I find
anything to do with trade and finances fascinating. One of the things I really loved
about Hong Kong was the prevalence of banking institutions, which help to define
the city’s skyline. My favorite building in Hong Kong (and possibly the world) was
the Bank of China building, which was designed by I.M. Pei and built in 1990. To me,
the building resembles a butcher’s knife, and it is especially cool to look at after
dark, when it lights up as part of the city’s nightly light show. I like the building so
much that I actually selected the painting that I bought in Stanley specifically
because this building was the focus of the painting. Throughout the course of my
stay in Hong Kong, I had been looking for an excuse to go into the building; one
evening, shortly before we were set to depart for Beijing, I found myself in need of
cash and, because I was near the Bank of China Building at the time, I decided to go
in and use one of the building’s ATMs to make a withdrawal. This may sound
unusual, but I was thrilled by the prospect of getting money that had the Bank of
China building printed on the bills from an ATM that was actually inside the building
itself. For me, doing so highlighted the importance of this visually stunning
structure and consequentially intensified my desire to some day find a job that
incorporates international banking.
The Beijing portion of the trip was full of opportunities to learn about
Chinese history and Chinese culture. As far as Chinese history goes, I feel that our
visit to the Forbidden City provided the most insight into the history of China. I’ve
taken several classes that focus on Chinese history during my time at UVA, so I really
appreciated the ability to learn about the history of Chinese dynasties in the capital
city of China. I had visited the Forbidden City during a previous trip to Beijing when
I was in high school, but I felt that the knowledge on Chinese history that I have
gained since coming to UVA really enhanced my experience this time around.
Although our visit was very brief (we were only in the Forbidden City for about an
hour), I managed to cram a lot into the limited timeframe we were given. The
Forbidden City itself is massive and I truly think that I could spend days exploring it,
and it was difficult for me to choose just a few sights to see. I ended up going to a
painting exhibition that included examples of Chinese calligraphy, an exhibit that
included a lot of the Imperial family’s jewelry, and an exhibition of clocks and
watches. It was neat to be able to look at such a wide variety of items, but what I
really liked was the fact that I had one of my Chinese friends with me.
Understandably, she has a much more expansive knowledge of Chinese history than
I do, and I really appreciated her eagerness to explain the history behind some of the
objects we saw. I especially liked learning about some of the famous Chinese poets
who had works on display in the calligraphy exhibit; my friend was able to teach me
a lot more than I would have learned simply from reading the placards in the
exhibit. Overall, I found the visit to the Forbidden City highly informative and
rewarding, despite our short visit. It was fascinating to walk where the great
Chinese emperors once walked, and I hope I can return someday to explore even
more of this once off-limits complex.
The Great Wall of China was another major attraction that I especially
enjoyed visiting. Even though it was pouring down rain the day our group visited
the Great Wall, we still managed to have a fun time there. The part of the Wall that
we visited, called Mutianyu, took approximately 2 hours to reach by bus from our
hotel in Beijing. The bus ride itself was nice because it helped me to get a better
sense of what China was like outside the major cities. Once we arrived at the Great
Wall, we got to ride a cable car up the mountain that it was built into. It was fun to
look out the window of the cable car at the dense forest below, and it made me
wonder how people were able to carry all the stones needed to build the Great Wall
up into the mountains without today’s technology. Once we finally were on the
Wall, we were able to wander around for about 30 minutes. The rain and clouds
obscured a lot of the view of the valley below, but I know that the view would have
been great, had we been able to see it. As I was walking along, I kept thinking about
how fascinating the Wall itself really is. The idea of building a giant wall, thousands
of miles long, as a defense mechanism to protect against invaders really intrigued
me because although I don’t think that such a wall would provide much protection
today, the Great Wall helped to protect China for thousands of years. I still cannot
fathom how such a magnificent, imposing structure was built so long ago, but I guess
that this is just one of those things that I will never understand. I had a fantastic
time at the Great Wall and I hope that I can return and hike along a larger portion of
it, hopefully on a day when it isn’t so rainy.
During my free time one morning, I decided to visit the Summer Palace. I
wasn’t sure what exactly I would see there, but a lot of people on the program had
been talking about wanting to go and see it, so I figured it would probably be a
worthwhile site to go and see. The Palace sits on the outskirts of northwest Beijing,
and the journey there took me over an hour by metro. Along the way there, I began
to question whether or not it was worth it to travel so far to see a sight that I knew
so little about, but as soon as I arrived, I knew that I had made the right decision in
going. I got to the Palace around 8:00 in the morning, just in time to watch people
doing their morning exercises near the entrance. I took some time to sit and watch
people dancing and stretching to a soundtrack of upbeat, peppy, unfamiliar music.
Then, I set out to see the major sites of the Palace, including the iconic temple and
the lake that it overlooks. I was strolling through one of the Palace’s many gardens
when I heard the sound of a harmonica nearby. I followed the music to an elderly
man sitting under a gazebo alone, contently playing his song as passersby walked
along, most of them seemingly oblivious to the song. I stopped for a few minutes
just to watch and listen to the music (and to take a few photos). By this point, it was
getting close to noon, and I knew that I had to be back at the hotel soon because we
had a documentary screening planned for the afternoon. I was walking towards the
exit when I stumbled upon a large group of about 40 men and women, most of
whom seemed to be in their 60’s or 70’s, gathered under an awning and joyously
singing along to a song playing in the background. I didn’t know the name of the
song, but I assumed that it was some sort of Chinese national song because it
seemed so popular amongst the group gathered and I recalled hearing a similarsounding song when I was out and about the day before. When I got back to the
hotel, I asked my Chinese roommate about the song and she laughed when I told her
I thought it might have been the national anthem; apparently, the song is the
Chinese equivalent of “Call Me Maybe”. Still, I really liked the song and I chose to use
it as the background music for video that accompanies this paper. I have since
proceeded to download the song to my iPod, and now every time I hear it, I am
reminded of how peaceful, relaxing, and culturally enriching my visit to the Summer
Palace was.
Over the course of my trip to Asia, I made a dedicated effort to visit as many
parks as I could. I hit most of the major parks in both Hong Kong and Beijing, as well
as a handful of small, local parks that I just happened to stumble into. Of all the
parks I visited, my favorite was Beihai Park in Beijing. On our first night in Beijing, I
travelled all the way to the park only to find out that it had been closed for several
hours. There was a large cement wall built around the perimeter of the park, so I
couldn’t even peer in to see what the park looked like; I was extremely curious
about what was behind the wall, and I knew that I would find some way to get inside
the park before I left Beijing. Luckily, I had some free time one afternoon later in the
week so I went back after checking online to make sure that it would be open. The
centerpiece of the park was a large lake that surrounded a temple built on an island
in the middle of the lake. It looked like the most popular activity to do at Beihai was
to rent a boat and take it around the lake, so I did just that. The boat was a small,
electric boat powered by battery, and the renter was in charge of driving it around
the lake. I was really looking forward to driving the boat, largely because I am so
used to driving my car at home and it had been almost 2 full months since I’d had
the opportunity to drive anything. I was doing pretty well until I tried to take a
photo of the temple in the middle of the lake. I was looking through the lens of my
camera when suddenly I heard a small thud; I looked up and realized that I had
accidently directed our boat into a duck-shaped boat parked along the side of the
water. It was at that point that one of my friends told me that I was no longer
allowed to drive our boat. She took over as captain and I was content to sit on the
bow with my feet in the water, quietly taking photos as she navigated through the
crowded lake. We had a few more collisions along the way, but luckily we didn’t
cause any damage to the boat so we got our full security deposit back when our time
was up.
I’ve been lucky enough to travel to a lot of the world’s major cities, and I have
come to the conclusion that for me, Beijing is, without a doubt, the best city (of those
that I have to travelled to) for people-watching. I found it fascinating to watch how
people interacted with each other in places like metro stations and I loved how
common it was to happen upon groups of people gathered in parks or even on the
side of major roads, engaged in activities ranging from pick-up matches of a hacky
sack-like game to impromptu dance performances. The best part about all of this
was that when people saw you watching, they would generally come over and invite
you to participate in whatever activity they were doing. One night, for example, I
was watching couples dancing together on a sidewalk on the side of one of the city’s
major highways when a man came up to me and offered to teach me the basic
techniques of the traditional Chinese dance they were performing; I happily
accepted his offer to do so. My favorite place for people watching, however, was the
Temple of Heaven. When I found out that we were going to the Temple of Heaven, I
looked it up online and found that it was a park with numerous historical structures,
including a concrete platform that the ancient Chinese once thought marked the
center of the universe. I made a list of the sites I wanted to see there before we
went, but when we got there, I was so distracted by all the activities people were
engaged in that I only ended up making it to one of the sites on my list, the Temple
of Heaven itself. Instead of hitting up the major attractions at the Temple, I spent
several hours watching people doing their morning exercises, dancing, and playing
cards, along with a host of other activities. On several occasions, I even joined in on
the fun, most notably spending about 25 minutes playing a badminton-like game
with a woman who was in need of a partner to play with her. I thought to myself
that I could happily spend weeks, if not months, going to the Temple of Heaven
every morning to do this, and I later found out that many retirees in Beijing do in
fact flock to places like the Temple of Heaven every morning to chat and enjoy each
others’ company. Before I left the park, I picked up a set of the badminton game that
I had played earlier that day, and a friend and I made plans to play it on the lawn at
UVA in the fall. Maybe it will catch on and be the next big thing in Charlottesville –
you never know.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in both Hong Kong and Beijing. I have so many
great memories of the trip and no paper can accurately express how much I learned
on the trip and how grateful I am for the opportunities I had. I really appreciate all
the hard work that the school put into planning the trip and I can’t think of a better
way to have spent my summer than with the group of students and professors that I
was able to explore China with.